One of the world's worst spammers, a gang led by Leo Kukayev, had dozens of their websites shut down by a Massachusetts court order for violation of the state's Consumer Protection Act and the Federal CAN-SPAM Act.

The gang, centered in the Boston area, is accused of sending millions of unsolicited, deceptive emails advertising for counterfeit drugs, pirated software, and pornography. A "spam trap" run by Microsoft intercepted 45,000 messages within three weeks.